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What if I drop my baby when I go down the steps? What if I burn the baby in the bathtub?

Thoughts like these can be frightening to new mothers, but are a common symptom pregnant and postpartum women can experience. Dropping the Baby and Other Scary Thoughts addresses the nature of these intrusive, negative and unwanted thoughts. Kleiman and Wenzel offer answers to the women who seek information, clarification, and validation in this useful resource for healthcare professionals working with these mothers. Written by two clinicians who have established themselves as leading experts and authors in this specialized field, this book maintains a compassionate tone that will be a voice familiar to many women in the postpartum community. Whether you must confront these negative notions personally or in your practice, this book will explain what these thoughts are, why they are there, and what can be done about them.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is a masterful blending of current research and extensive clinical experience regarding scary thoughts, a woefully neglected problem that can haunt new mothers. A soon-to-be classic in the libraries of both mothers and their health care providers, it contains invaluable information on an 8-step process to break the cycle of scary thoughts." - Cheryl Tatano Beck, University of Connecticut, USA

"This is a critical book, tackling a frightening, but generally benign symptom of postpartum illness - intrusive, unwanted thoughts. Distressed mothers will find relief in this expert, compassionate guide that conveys the appropriate perspective and clinical response to this treatable symptom. Kleiman and Wenzel are to be commended for lighting the path to awareness on an aspect of postpartum illness so often distorted by the media and for helping engage and heal new moms experiencing the distress and shame of this common symptom." - Susan Stone, Past President, Postpartum Support International, USA; National Board, The Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition; Author/Editor, Perinatal and Postpartum Mood Disorders; Founder, www.perinatalpro.com

"This book removes the shame and stigma surrounding a scary topic that is rarely addressed because it is so highly misunderstood. Backed by their extensive clinical backgrounds and supported by current research, Kleiman and Wenzel offer specific strategies and reassurance for new mothers who have scary thoughts, while furthering the understanding of those professionals who treat them." - Diana Lynn Barnes, PsyD, Past President of Postpartum Support International, USA; co-author, The Journey to Parenthood: Myths, Reality and What Really Matters

"This book is a gift to all new mothers and their loved ones. The Personal Treatment Plan is an extraordinarily helpful and practical guide for both new mothers and clinicians, and serves as a unique resource for women as they attempt to cope with the scary thoughts that accompany new motherhood." - Deborah Kim, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA

"The title alone of Dropping the Baby and Other Scary Thoughts confidently announces that this experience, which has historically been described in hushed tones, is now ‘out of the closet’. With an affirming nod to postpartum women, their families, and their caregivers, Karen Kleiman and Amy Wenzel have pooled their collective expertise and deftly created a comprehensive and highly readable resource that simultaneously informs and reassures." - Margaret Howard, Brown Alpert Medical School; Director, Postpartum Depression Day Hospital, Women & Infants Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island, USA

"Thank you to Drs. Kleiman and Wenzel for writing this book! Scary thoughts are nearly universal in new moms but, sadly, are underidentified, undertreated, and widely misunderstood. This excellent book arms mothers and their families with the knowledge they need to understand these thoughts and manage their anxiety." -Pamela S. Wiegartz, Brigham and Women's Hospital; Author, The Pregnancy and Postpartum Anxiety Workbook

"Dropping the Baby is a very accessible self-help book for new mothers who may be experiencing anxiety. The authors help to normalise the presence of anxiety during the post-anatal period by listing common examples of worries and also by emphasising the prevalence of worrying thoughts amongst new mothers. ... Whilst largely focusing on anxiety in the post-partum period, the book also briefly discusses difficulties relating to post-natal depression, birth trauma and obsessive compulsive disorder." - Sian Fitzpatrick, Journal of Mental Health (Vol. 22, No. 3)

About the Author

Karen Kleiman, MSW, is a licensed clinical social worker and founder and director of The Postpartum Stress Center. She is the author of several books on postpartum depression, and an internationally recognized expert on the subject. In addition to her clinical practice, Karen teaches a specialized post-graduate course for clinicians, providing training programs for healthcare professionals and mentoring opportunities for therapists who wish to specialize in the treatment of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.

Amy Wenzel, PhD, is author and editor of many books on topics such as cognitive therapy, cognitive research methods, and close relationships. Her areas of research and clinical expertise and in perinatal anxiety disorders, interpersonal functioning in anxiety disorders, suicide prevention, and cognitive therapy. She lectures nationally on issues relevant to mental health and psychotherapy. She currently divides her time between scholarly research, training and consultation, and clinical practice.

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More About the Author

Karen Kleiman, MSW, LCSW, Founder & Executive Director of The Postpartum Stress Center (postpartumstress.com), Licensed, Clinical Social Worker, co-author of "This Isn't What I Expected: Overcoming Postpartum Depression" and "Dropping the Baby and Other Scary Thoughts" and author of "Therapy and the Postpartum Woman", "What Am I Thinking: Having a Baby After Postpartum Depression" and "The Postpartum Husband: Practical Solutions for Living with Postpartum Depression", has been working with women and their families for over 30 years. She is an international expert on the topic of postpartum depression.

A native of Saint Louis, MO., Karen has lived in the Philadelphia area since 1982 with her two children and her husband. After graduating in 1980 from the University of Illinois at Chicago with her Masters in Social Work, she began her practice as a psychotherapist, specializing in women's issues. In 1988 she founded The Postpartum Stress Center where she provides treatment for prenatal and postpartum depression and anxiety. In 2009 New Jersey opened The Postpartum Stress & Family Wellness Center where they treat pregnant and postpartum women as well as children, adolescents and families.

In addition to her clinical practice, Karen provides specialized post-graduate training classes and inservices for healthcare professionals as well as consultation and supervision to therapists. She frequently lectures and continues to write on the topic of postpartum adjustment. Her work has been featured in local and national magazines, numerous radio shows, local and national television shows, "Inside Edition", The Oprah Winfrey Show and NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw.

Currently, Karen is affiliated with a number of on-line sites, where she writes articles, facilitates support chats and addresses concerns of postpartum and pregnant women. In addition to her work at The Postpartum Stress Center of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Karen maintains a general private practice where she treats individuals, couples and families.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

I had heard about the baby blues and postpartum depression. I think most women are briefed about it at some point during pregnancy and right after childbirth, but what I (and I suspect most who go through this) experienced was a million times worse and much different from what I had heard. I think it's a shame that more isn't done to educate women about what may happen to them after they give birth. I was completely petrified by the feelings and thoughts that I was having. And I was even more terrified of what would happen if I told anyone about it. I thought my child would be taken from me if I tried to describe the horrible, horrible, horrible things going through my mind. Yet, at the same time, I was afraid to be alone with my child, thinking that if I could think things I did not want to think, what would stop me from doing things I didn't want to do. I was convinced that there was something more wrong with me than simple postpartum depression because I had never heard of anyone having the kind of thoughts I was having and having them constantly.

This book helped me understand that I really was experiencing what many, many women go through. I can't explain how relieved I was to find I was not alone. It also helped me share what I had been trying to go through alone for over three months. I literally took the book to my husband and said that I needed to talk to him, but I wanted him to read a few key passages from the book first. He completely understood, and I was so much more relieved not to be alone with my thoughts anymore.

Of course the book wasn't responsible for a full recovery, but it made me realize that I had to speak with a doctor and a therapist. I did (and still do) need medication, but I was able to work through a lot of problems with my therapist in a few months. Mindfulness practices also helped a lot. But it was this book that was my lifeline when I felt that I was going through the coldest, harshest hell imaginable.

As a mother hit with PPD out of nowhere 3 months after my 3rd child, this book has been absolutely invaluable. I was paralyzed with fear and anxiety, and bought this book hoping for some clarity on the phenomenon of unwanted thoughts. I wasn't just reassured I wasn't alone: they spoke to EVERY SINGLE THING I had experienced! I felt understood, comforted, and equipped by what they wrote. Along with Scripture, this book got me through the roughest patch I've ever been in. It took me from ashamed and paralyzed to educated and empowered. I highly recommend every OB read this as well.

This book is a fantastic resource for new mothers dealing with scary thoughts. Every doctor (especially obstetricians, family practitioners, pediatricians, and psychiatrists) should be REQUIRED to read this.

All new mothers and clinicians should be required to read this book. It is a fantastic resource and sheds light on a COMMON postpartum struggle not addressed with the commonly known baby blues, postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis. A must read!

I bought this book right after the birth of my first baby and at that time I needed it badly. Anything. I would take comfort and understanding from anywhere. That is what this book is. It helps mother's understand the details in a topic that is rarely discussed. I hope that books like this will continue to be written so that we further dialogue about scary thoughts in motherhood and in life in general. After you read the book, you will know you are NOT ALONE!! It's common, it's real, and it's OKAY. I will say that depending on what you are struggling with, a few pages in this book can be triggers to more scary thoughts. I realized it quickly and skipped over these pages. I believe the page before the pages I'm talking about does warn you to skip ahead if you are not at a place to handle it. And on a personal note, my son is now 15 months old and it GETS SO MUCH BETTER. You are a great mama.

A book worth reading for those living with postpartum depression, OCD, and anxiety and living with intrusive thoughts. There is a lot of information about understanding and working through intrusive thoughts in order ot live a happier, more fulfilling life as a mother/parent. It is also a recommended read for those who want to understand their friends and loved ones who are suffering from scary thoughts. You are not your thoughts! You will get through PPD/OCD/A. You are stronger than you feel or think you are! This book tells you that and I humbly agree and know through experience.